A blog about the challenges of losing one job and finding another

I don’t know about you, but where I am it is HOT. Everything slows down in the summer. Don’t be surprised if the same thing happens to your job search.

The employment process is usually cyclical. At the first of the year companies are launching new strategic initiates, have new budgets, and job postings explode. Managers are anxious to fill new jobs and things can happen quickly. As winter turns to spring, other interests take over and the process moves to less frantic pace.

Then, as spring becomes summer it is as if someone throws a switch and everything goes into slow motion. Fewer jobs are posted. It takes longer to schedule interviews. Vacations, retreats, and conferences occupy more time, and the hiring process is set aside.

Around Labor Day that mysterious someone will flip that switch back and the activity will be frantic again, trying to make up for the time lost over the summer. In October, it will level off and come Thanksgiving things will virtually shut down until the first of next year.

As a job seeker, these cycles can be very frustrating. You can hardly keep up in the busy times and in the slow times, you can’t get anyone to even return a phone call or look at your resume. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to alter the cycle.

Know that you are not alone, and it’s not just you. Be diligent; follow up periodically to make sure they know you are still interested – but not so much that you become annoying. Be as flexible as possible to accommodate other’s schedules. Practice patience and understanding – these can be great life lessons.

Summer will be ending soon. Use the slow time to perfect your resume, practice your interview questions, and research your targets. While summer is slow, early fall can be frenetic. Get ready. That job you’re looking for will be here soon.

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If you want more advice on how to write a resume, how to network, or just how to find a job, check out I’m Fired?!? A Business Fable about the Challenges of Losing One Job and Finding Another. Available soon in print!Click here for more details.

Imagine this – you sit down to a networking interview with a guy who just lost his job. You ask, “So what work did you do?” And he responds … “I used Excel, I audited accounts, I did reconciliations, I made journal entries, I filled out tax forms, I oversaw inventory, I prepared financial statements, I managed cash, I worked with banks, I managed the fixed asset system, I calculated depreciation …” Soon your eyes glaze over and you wonder why you agreed to meet this guy.

What was missing from this answer to your question was focus. What he probably should have said was “I was an accountant.” Then through follow-up questions could have learned about what type of accountant and gradually picked up as much detail as you needed. But, by leading with the details he lost you.

Likewise, your job search needs focus. Learn to lead with the general and move to the specific as needed. Help people see the whole you, rather than just the tasks that you know how to perform. While focus is required in all aspects of your search, there are two key areas where that summary comes into play.

The fist is your elevator speech. This is a 30-second description of who you are and what you want. This high-level summary needs to be focused and be the door opener for you to be able to provide more detail. A typical job hunter has only one elevator speech, but if your search is taking you in very different directions, you might have two ready, depending on whom you meet.

The second key area for focus is your resume. I recommend that the first thing on your resume, below your name and contact information, should be a summary. This is no more than two sentences or four bullets that tell the reader exactly why you are the person they should hire for the job you are applying for. This summary leads them into the accomplishments, career history, and education that support that summary – again working from general to specific.

When you are out of work and just want to find a job, you may be tempted to tell everyone everything with the hope that there will be some scrap of information that you throw out that captures their attention. Unfortunately, that technique does not often work. Find your focus and sell the whole package. You have something to offer and someone is going see that in your focus.

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If you want more advice on how to write a resume, how to network, or just how to find a job, check out I’m Fired?!? A Business Fable about the Challenges of Losing One Job and Finding Another. Available soon in print!Click here for more details.

Don Miguel Ruiz has written a very powerful book called “The Four Agreements.” First published in 1997, the book lays out four agreements that you can make with yourself that will change the way you see the world and interact with others. To be completely honest there is a spiritual side of the book that’s simply not for me, but I love the practical applications of the four agreements and I try to live by them every day. I also think that making these four agreements can be very powerful in your job search. Here is how I would interpret and apply the agreements.

1) Be Impeccable in your word

You words are powerful – they influence you and those who hear them. Only speak positively about yourself and others. Only speak the truth. Avoid gossip and speculation. In networking and job interviews don’t oversell yourself and suggest that your skills or experience are greater than they are, but at the same time don’t undersell. Skills are transferable, you can learn and grow, so even if you don’t have the exact experience they are seeking, show them how you can compensate and learn. Say exactly what you mean.

2) Don’t take anything personally

Job search can be brutal. There will be jobs that you want, but are offered to others. People will be rude to you. Doors will be closed to you. Take a step back and realize two things. First, hiring managers are trying to do what they think is best for their business. If you are a finalist for a job and they offer the job to someone else, that decision is not because you are a bad person; it is because they felt the other person was a better fit. You wouldn’t have been a finalist if they didn’t think you could do the job. It’s not personal, it was their business decision. And second, take some satisfaction that sometimes they make mistakes – it’s their loss, someone else will get to work with you.

3) Don’t make assumptions

If you have a question, ask it. Don’t assume others know what you know or feel the same way about an issue. Don’t assume they know you are very interested in the job. Don’t assume they know you are interested in relocating. Don’t assume the job comes with health benefits. Bottom line – don’t assume. Ask questions – share information – try to make sure that everyone is crystal clear on the important parts of the job and about you.

4) Always do your best

At the end of the day that’s all you’ve got. They talk about athletes leaving it all on the court. If you’ve done your best, given it everything you have, followed the other three agreements and don’t get the job, then go after the next one. You can’t beat yourself up if you’ve done your best. On the other hand, if you’ve cut corners, we not quite honest (with the recruiter or yourself), and tried to wing-it during the interview, think about it – would you want to hire someone like that?

These are four hard things to do. They are hard in life, and they are hard in job search. But, I guarantee that if you make these four agreements part of your core values, you will be successful in more than just your job search. I encourage you to read the book and understand Ruiz’s full message, but more than that, I encourage you to embrace these four agreements.

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If you want more advice on how to write a resume, how to network, or just how to find a job, check out I’m Fired?!? A Business Fable about the Challenges of Losing One Job and Finding Another. Available soon in print!Click here for more details.

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